72 MAEYLAXD AGKICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 



period of several weeks, and egg-layiiig thus extends into the late summer, 

 so that larvae of different sizes will be found in the apples during the 

 late summer and autumn, and even well into the winter. The cocoons 

 of these late individuals are usually spun in the crevices of the barrels 

 in which the apples are packed for storage. 



REMEDIAL MEASURES. 



The damage which this iusect wrought to the apple crop all over the 

 country down to within the last eight or ten years was very great, 

 and is still very serious in sections where intelligent measures are not 

 taken to prevent it. Anywhere from 50 to 100 per cent, of wormy 

 apples was common ; and the effect of the alternate seasons of heavy and 

 light setting of fruit was intensified to such a degree that in seasons of 

 light setting, the crop was almost entirely destroyed. 



In a few localities the old plan of bandaging or encircling the trunks 

 of the trees with paper or rag bandages was systematically carried on, 

 with the result of greatly reducing the proportion of wormy fruit, as the 

 larva?, are very fond of spinning up in the shelter afforded by such ban- 

 dages, and where these are systematically removed every two weeks and 

 scalded, (or in the case of paper bandages burned) this method of check- 

 ing the injury of the insect is well worth adopting. The efforts of the 

 State Horticultural Societies of Michigan, Illinois and Kansas in the use 

 of these bandages were particularly productive of good results, as there 

 was co-operation. At the present time, however, this method has been 

 almost entirely superseded by one which is, on the whole, better and 

 simpler, viz: spraying with arsenical poisons. The use of arsenical 

 poisons against this insect practically dates from 1878, though they had 

 been employed on apple trees as early as 1872, against Canker Worms. 

 It was in fact, their use against Canker Worms that led to the discovery 

 that they were available as preventives of the Apple Worm. They are 

 now very generally employed among the most advanced apple growers of 

 the North and West, especially where a sufficient number of trees is 

 grown to justify providing the proper machinery. This method is not 

 confined to the United States, but has been introduced with profit into 

 New Zealand, Australia and Tasmania, where the insect prevails as it 

 does with us. Spraying with arsenicals was longer in making its way in 

 Europe, but even in England and in parts of the continent apple growers 

 are beginning to appreciate its value, though prejudiced against the use 

 of poisons. Many of our apple growers, particularly in the South, have 

 so far failed to appreciate its importance, and this is to a large extent 

 true of the State of Maryland. 



As some of our orchardists may yet fancy that the time and means 

 required to spray effectively are Avasted, let me quote a single instance of 

 the value of spraying from a correspondent in the vicinitv who is an ex- 

 tensive grower, and then give briefly some of the best and latest methods. 

 Two years ago Mr. John S. Luptoii of Winchester, Va., wrote me as 

 follows : 



